RTKL
Encyclopedia
RTKL is a global architecture
, planning
and design
firm. The firm was founded in 1946 by Archibald Rogers and Francis Taliaferro in Rogers’ grandmother’s basement in Annapolis
and is now one of the largest architectural firms in the world. Its award-winning portfolio spans six continents and includes projects in the retail
, entertainment, residential, healthcare, civic and public, workplace, mixed use
, hospitality, urban planning
and technology sectors.
The firm has consistently been ranked among the world’s top design firms. In 2011, Building Design
ranked RTKL’s retail sector first in the world, its planning services third and its urban design services fifth.
In 2007, RTKL became a wholly owned subsidiary of ARCADIS
, an international company that delivers consulting, design, engineering, urban planning, architectural and project management services for infrastructure, environment and buildings.
. In 1949, the pair added Charles Lamb, whose design for the Anne Arundel County
Girl Scouts
Teepee Lodge gained the firm national attention by winning an award from the American Institute of Architects
. The firm’s reputation grew when, in 1954, internationally renowned architect Pietro Belluschi
selected Rogers, Taliaferro and Lamb as his associate architect for the design of the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore
. The project received an AIA Award of Merit and, in 1986, a special 25-Year Award from the AIA's Baltimore Chapter. The addition of urban design specialist George Kostritsky in 1961 completed the foursome, and the “Rogers, Taliaferro, Kostritsky and Lamb” name was condensed to “RTKL.” In that same year RTKL was commissioned to design the public spaces for the Charles Center
, which contributed to Baltimore’s urban renewal movement. Largely because of the success of this involvement, the firm was commissioned to develop downtown plans for Cincinnati, Hartford, and Charlotte
, North Carolina, among other US cities.
The firm continued to expand in the next decades, opening offices across the company and overseas. In 2000, RTKL acquired Dallas-based FDS International, a health practice ranked among the top ten in the country. Ten years later the firm added Beijing-based AHS International, a practice that specialized in healthcare and medical-facility architecture.
Europe
Middle East
United States
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, planning
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
and design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
firm. The firm was founded in 1946 by Archibald Rogers and Francis Taliaferro in Rogers’ grandmother’s basement in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
and is now one of the largest architectural firms in the world. Its award-winning portfolio spans six continents and includes projects in the retail
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, entertainment, residential, healthcare, civic and public, workplace, mixed use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
, hospitality, urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
and technology sectors.
The firm has consistently been ranked among the world’s top design firms. In 2011, Building Design
Building Design
Building Design is one of the leading architectural magazines in the United Kingdom.According to ABC , the magazine's circulation for the year ending June 2008 was 22,848. The publishing company is UBM Built Environment, a division of United Business Media, which also publishes Building and...
ranked RTKL’s retail sector first in the world, its planning services third and its urban design services fifth.
In 2007, RTKL became a wholly owned subsidiary of ARCADIS
Arcadis NV
Arcadis N.V. is an international company providing consultancy, design, engineering and management services in infrastructure, environment, buildings and waste water. Arcadis develops, designs, implements, maintains and operates projects for companies and governments...
, an international company that delivers consulting, design, engineering, urban planning, architectural and project management services for infrastructure, environment and buildings.
History
The firm was founded by Archibald Rogers and Francis Taliaferro in Rogers’ grandmother’s basement in AnnapolisAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. In 1949, the pair added Charles Lamb, whose design for the Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
Teepee Lodge gained the firm national attention by winning an award from the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
. The firm’s reputation grew when, in 1954, internationally renowned architect Pietro Belluschi
Pietro Belluschi
Pietro Belluschi was an American architect, a leader of the Modern Movement in architecture, and was responsible for the design of over one thousand buildings....
selected Rogers, Taliaferro and Lamb as his associate architect for the design of the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. The project received an AIA Award of Merit and, in 1986, a special 25-Year Award from the AIA's Baltimore Chapter. The addition of urban design specialist George Kostritsky in 1961 completed the foursome, and the “Rogers, Taliaferro, Kostritsky and Lamb” name was condensed to “RTKL.” In that same year RTKL was commissioned to design the public spaces for the Charles Center
Charles Center
Charles Center is a highrise apartment building located in Baltimore, Maryland. The building stands 385 feet/117 meters tall and contains 30 floors. The building was constructed in 1969 by developers Conklin + Rossant....
, which contributed to Baltimore’s urban renewal movement. Largely because of the success of this involvement, the firm was commissioned to develop downtown plans for Cincinnati, Hartford, and Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, North Carolina, among other US cities.
The firm continued to expand in the next decades, opening offices across the company and overseas. In 2000, RTKL acquired Dallas-based FDS International, a health practice ranked among the top ten in the country. Ten years later the firm added Beijing-based AHS International, a practice that specialized in healthcare and medical-facility architecture.
Offices
Asia- BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
- ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
Europe
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Middle East
- Abu DhabiAbu DhabiAbu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
- DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
United States
- BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
- ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
- Dallas
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- Miami
- Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Services
- ArchitectureArchitectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
- PlanningUrban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
and Urban DesignUrban designUrban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has... - Interior ArchitectureInterior architectureInterior Architecture is truly a marriage of three distinct design disciplines: interior design, architecture, and industrial design...
and DesignInterior designInterior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects... - MEP engineering
- Structural EngineeringStructural engineeringStructural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
- Special Systems Design
- Historic PreservationHistoric preservationHistoric preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
- Protective Planning
- Environmental Graphic DesignEnvironmental graphic designEnvironmental graphic design is a design profession embracing many design disciplines including graphic design, architecture, industrial design and landscape architecture...
- Healthcare Technology ServicesMedical equipment managementHealthcare Technology Management is a fundamental part of managing a clinical/biomedical engineering department...
- Health Facility Planning
- Health Facility Transitioning
- BrandingBrand managementBrand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand.The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H...
Notable RTKL Projects
- Mandarin Oriental HotelMandarin Oriental, MiamiMandarin Oriental, Miami is a hotel located on Brickell Key in Miami, Florida, overlooking Biscayne Bay. The 326-room waterfront hotel opened in November 2000 and is managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. In addition to the 295 guestrooms and 31 suites, the hotel operates the restaurants Azul...
, Miami, FL (2000) - Principe Pio, Madrid, Spain (2004)
- The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, Plano Texas (2005)
- New Jiang Wan Cultural Center, Shanghai China (2005)
- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and CultureReginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & CultureThe Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture is an African-American museum located at 830 E. Pratt Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in 2005, the museum is dedicated to showing the struggles for self-determination made by African American Marylanders. The...
, Baltimore, MD (2005) - Silver Cross Hospital Campus, New Lenox, IL (2005)
- John Radcliffe HospitalJohn Radcliffe HospitalThe John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England.It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well-developed centre of medical research. It also incorporates the Medical School of the University of Oxford....
, Oxford, England (2006) - WestfieldWestfield San Francisco CentreWestfield San Francisco Centre is an upscale, urban shopping center located in San Francisco, California, managed by the Westfield Group and co-owned by Westfield and Forest City Enterprises. It is anchored by Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, and includes a Century Theatres multiplex, a Bristol...
San Francisco(2006) - Community Hospital NorthCommunity Hospital NorthCommunity Hospital North is a hospital located in the Castleton neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It is part of the Community Health Network group of hospitals in Indiana.-History:...
Expansion, Indianapolis, Indiana (2007) - Tokyo Bay Rehabilitation Hospital, Tokyo, Japan (2007)
- L.A. Live, Los Angeles, CA (2008)
- U.S. Capitol Visitor CenterUnited States Capitol Visitor CenterThe United States Capitol Visitor Center is a large underground addition to the United States Capitol complex which serves as a gathering point for up to 4,000 tourists and an expansion space for the US Congress. It is located below the East Front of the Capitol and its plaza, between the Capitol...
, Washington, DC (2008) - City Crossing, Shenzhen, China (2009)
- American Society of HematologyAmerican Society of HematologyThe American Society of Hematology is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted nearly 20,000 attendees. The society publishes the medical journal Blood, one of the most cited peer-review...
, Washington, DC (2010) - eBayEBayeBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
Data Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (2010) - Mirdif City Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2010)
- Food and Drug Administration Headquarters, White Oak, MD (est. 2012)
- Shanghai Changzheng New Pudong Hospital , Shanghai, China (est. 2014)